Paul J. Clifford, chief executive officer of the Penn State Alumni Association and associate vice president for alumni relations at Penn State for the last nine years, left the university in early January. 

As the Alumni Association’s 11th chief executive in its 154-year history, Clifford ’20 MEd Edu WC oversaw the largest dues-paying membership organization of its kind worldwide. He guided Penn State’s alumni relations strategy, including engagement initiatives with the Alumni Association’s members and nearly 300 affiliate groups; managed a 55-member staff; and leveraged the association’s broad range of programs, benefits, services, and resources, including a $13 million annual operating budget. 

Under his leadership, the Alumni Association’s endowment saw a 58% increase, as he and his team negotiated affinity and sponsorship relationships yielding almost $25 million in guaranteed revenue over a 10-year period. 

“Paul Clifford has been so much more than the CEO of the Penn State Alumni Association,” said Anand Ganjam ’15 Bus, president of the Alumni Association. “He has been a visionary leader, a trusted friend, and the true embodiment of the ‘We Are’ spirit.”